


Assumptions

by loves_books



Category: The A-Team (2010), The A-Team - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-28 06:09:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11411853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loves_books/pseuds/loves_books
Summary: Everyone always assumes that Face is the needy one.He knows differently.He knows the truth.





	Assumptions

Everyone always assumes that Face is the needy one.

Everyone always assumes that Face is the one who would fall apart if their relationship ever ended, so desperate and starved for love that he wouldn’t want to go on if Hannibal ever left him.

Face just smiles, content as always to let people believe whatever they want.

He knows differently.

He knows the truth.

He isn’t the insecure one in their relationship, not by any means. He isn’t the one lacking in self-confidence, or the one who worries that every little disagreement means the beginning of the end. 

No, Hannibal is the one with all the hang-ups, and Face loves him more for each and every one he discovers. Hannibal is the one who worries he is too old for Face. Hannibal is the one who fears that Face will leave him for a younger model one day. Hannibal is the one who is scared he isn’t adventurous enough, or smart enough, or good-looking enough.

Face is flattered, in some ways. He knows he’s a catch. He just wishes that Hannibal could see that _he_ is the far bigger catch, and that Face is the luckiest man alive.

Hannibal hides his feelings well, buried deep beneath the protective walls he’s built up over a lifetime of difficult relationships, including a failed marriage in his twenties, and a lover who threatened to ‘out’ him early in his army days. But Face knows how to see straight through those walls; he has walls of his own, of course, that Hannibal is slowly learning to see through.

They don’t talk about Hannibal’s fears; why would they? They’re both men, both Rangers, which means they’re both trained not to talk. Face has his doubts that talking would change anything anyway, even if they did make the effort. 

There are no words he could say to convince Hannibal that the fifteen year age gap between them isn’t a problem – for Face, it’s actually a bonus, as he prefers his men to be more experienced and wiser than he will ever be. He would never, ever admit it out loud, but he likes being the younger one. He likes being taken care of, though goodness knows he can take care of himself when he has to. 

There are no words he could say to reassure Hannibal that he is truly handsome, not when Hannibal is convinced his nose has been broken one too many times and his ears are more than a little too big. Face loves every square inch of Hannibal’s craggy face, most especially those bright blue eyes and the tiny lines that appear by his mouth when he smiles, but there’s no way to say all of that without sounding foolish and sentimental. They really don’t do sentimental. And physical beauty doesn’t matter anyway.

Face doesn’t want adventurous, not when they get far more than their fair share of adventure out in the field. When they’re at home, when they’re just John-and-Temp, he doesn’t want to go jump out of a helicopter or climb a mountain. He’s happy to just hang out around the house with a book or listening to some music, as long as Hannibal is somewhere close by his side. There’s no way to make Hannibal believe that, though.

And Face doesn’t want Hannibal to think he isn’t smart, because he is. Hannibal is so incredibly brilliant in so many ways, but because he doesn’t have an advanced college degree Face knows his lover doesn’t feel brilliant, not outside of his work in the Rangers. Hannibal has a better education in military strategy than anyone Face has ever met, but on top of that he reads so many books on such a wide range of topics that he can more than hold his own in conversation with just about anyone, from any walk of life.

Face, on the other hand, went through college on a military scholarship, and did the bare minimum of work required to earn his degree and his commission. Hannibal is far smarter than Face will ever be, but Face is a con artist through and through, and he knows how to fake his way through intellectual conversations when he can’t avoid them. He just never expected Hannibal to fall for those cons; Hannibal never falls for Face’s cons.

But they don’t talk about all these things, and they never will. Instead, Face simply tries his hardest to reassure Hannibal of his love and devotion in other ways, knowing all the time that Hannibal will probably never feel entirely secure in their relationship. 

That knowledge can sometimes make Face feel a little sad. He can’t help but wonder how Hannibal would cope if their relationship did end, even though he has no intention of ever letting that happen. No, he intends to spend the rest of his life with this wonderful man, just so long as Hannibal wants him in return, continuing to build a future together, whether that future is in the Rangers or in civilian life.

He intends to spend the rest of his life complimenting Hannibal on his gorgeous silver hair, stroking his fingers through the silky strands and relishing the purr that always slips from somewhere deep in Hannibal’s chest. He will pretend to indulge Hannibal in his need to open doors for him and to protectively walk closest to the road when they are out together, while secretly enjoying every moment. 

Deep down it doesn’t matter to Face if his lover never feels secure in their relationship, though he can’t help but wish that one day Hannibal might finally trust that he isn’t going anywhere. Maybe twenty, thirty or even forty years down the line, when they are both old and grey and still spending each and every day side by side, Hannibal will finally find his faith.

For now, Face is more than content to be the confident one, for both of them. 

And everyone else can assume whatever they want.


End file.
